Can Louisiana legislation prevent repeat of deadly Hurricane Ida nursing home evacuation?

A bill designed to prevent a repeat of the deadly evacuation of seven southern Louisiana nursing homes during Hurricane Ida to a warehouse where patients faced what state officials described as "inhumane" conditions moved closer to passage Wednesday.

House Bill 291 by Baton Rouge Republican Rep. Rick Edmonds would place more oversight responsibility on the Louisiana Department of Health to make sure emergency plans are safe require the agency to actively approve or reject them.

At least seven nursing home patients died — and as many as 15 — from the botched evacuation of more than 800 nursing home residents and patients to an unsanitary Independence warehouse.

"I think everybody knows something has to be done," Edmonds told USA Today Network Wednesday after his bill cleared the Senate Health and Welfare Committee without objection. "We can't let a catastrophe like that happen again."

More: Owner of nursing homes evacuated to warehouse during Ida cut from federal healthcare

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Louisiana has since revoked the licenses of the seven nursing homes, all owned by Bob Dean Jr. Dean also owned the warehouse.

This week U.S. Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi A. Grimm announced that Dean can no longer participate in federal health care programs.

Dean's seven nursing homes had already been excluded from participation.

"Improving nursing home performance and the care they provide is my No. 1 priority,” Grimm said in a statement. “When those facilities and their owners fail to protect our most vulnerable populations, OIG will not hesitate to implement its powerful exclusion tool to safeguard HHS programs and the people they serve.”

Dean's attorney, John McLindon, has said the initial reports about conditions at the warehouse and Dean’s handling of the evacuation “have been greatly exaggerated.”

Edmonds said his bill will require the Louisiana Department of Health to more carefully scrutinize nursing home's evacuation plans.

After the nursing home disaster at the Independence warehouse, it became clear the agency only provided a cursory review of the plans that owners are required to submit.

During a Louisiana Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee hearing in September on the agency's role in the debacle, director of regulatory affairs Stephen Russo said the agency didn't have the authority to "approve" the plans.

"I keep coming back to the nursing home is responsible for the health and safety of their residents," Russo said at the time.

Edmonds bill would require the agency to actually approve the plans.

The legislation would also require all Louisiana nursing homes submit an annual emergency plan by March 1 rather than just those in the 22 southern parishes under current law.

Greg Hilburn covers Louisiana politics for the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Could another deadly nursing home hurricane evacuation be prevented?